OTTAWA, Ont. — Senator Lynn Beyak's suspension from Parliament's upper chamber should be lifted, according to the Senate's standing committee on ethics and conflict of interest.
Beyak, who's from Dryden, was initially suspended without pay in May 2019 after she refused to remove derogatory letters about Indigenous peoples from her website.
The suspension ended automatically when Parliament dissolved for last year's federal election.
Although Beyak apologized, she had not completed an anti-racism course, so the Senate suspended her again.
In its latest report on the matter, the ethics committee says a recent letter of apology to Indigenous peoples and to the Senate, combined with her conduct during a second course, shows she understands and acknowledges the impact of her actions.
Beyak's training included Indigenous history and the role of the Senate in promoting minority rights.
"I have learned new ways of advocating that are tactful, compassionate and respectful and, once again, apologize sincerely and unreservedly for my hurtful actions and wrongful conduct," she said in her June 5 letter to the Clerk of the Senate.
Members of the Senate will now vote on whether to accept the committee's recommendation to reinstate her.
